Do you want to discover how and in which environments life could have originated on early Earth? The CRC 392 (collaborative research center) brings together young and experienced researchers to foster and grow our cross-disciplinary network on the Emergence of Life research. They will integrate the initial boundary conditions of early Earth from biophysics, geoscience, astronomy and chemistry for innovative lab experiments.

Apply for this PhD position in Experimental Volcanology & Fluid-Rock-Interaction in the context of the Emergence of Life at the  Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich!

This project explores shallow geothermal environments driven by magmatic activity on their potential to act as physical-chemical factories where prebiotic reactions are catalyzed by glass /mineral – fluid reactions. Shallow geothermal systems span a broad range of pressure, temperature and pH values, and their fluids often source from deeper sub-volcanic/magmatic regions, connected by system-spanning transport processes such as gas and fluid flow through a permeable fracture network.

The goals of this project are:

• to explore chemical gradients and silicate-glass/mineral reactivity to e.g. liberate phosphorus, lanthanides;
• to explore the fertilization capacity of volcanic ashes introduced into aqueous systems as erupted ash is known for its scavenging capacity binding salts and is via volcanic lightning also a likely source for as possible source for simple prebiotic compounds ( such as NH3, HCN,..);
• to expand the current understanding of fluid-rock interactions under early earth conditions and chemical reactions from shallow to deeper environments to bridge the gap between shallow geothermal and sub-volcanic/magmatic systems.

The group seeks an outstanding and highly motivated candidate, eager to work in a highly interdisciplinary research group. Experience in experimental laboratory work, as well as in optical, petrological and geochemical analysis (e.g. XRD, Raman, SEM, EMPA, xCT, XRD), will be highly beneficial. Candidates should have a MSc in a relevant area (petrology, geochemistry, volcanology, Earth sciences).

The PhD student will be hosted at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at LMU Munich. Within the CRC392 excellent interdisciplinary training, and networking activities are provided.

Apply with a CV, motivation letter, transcript of academic record, publications (if existing), and 2 references to Prof. Bettina Scheu <b.scheu@lmu.de>.

Evaluation of the applications will start immediately until the position is filled. The project can start in October 2024 and is funded for 3 years (TV-L-E13 (75%).

A PhD position is available in the Laboratory of Molecular Mechanisms of Biological Adaptation at the Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA).

Study of the role of queousine nucleoside precursors in resistance to extreme conditions of microbial communities

The thesis project will consist of the study of the function of the queuosine (Q) nucleoside precursors as signaling molecules involved in the stability and resistance to extreme conditions of microbial communities. In our research group we have discovered that the modification of tRNA by Q is a molecular mechanism involved in the regulation of resistance, biofilm formation and virulence in most bacterial species (Díaz-Rullo and González-Pastor, NAR 2023). We have also proposed that Q precursors, produced by some bacterial species, would function as signaling molecules involved in the control of the aforementioned biological processes in other species within the communities. In this thesis project, this hypothesis will be tested experimentally using synthetic communities of Q precursor-producing and non-producing bacteria. In addition, functional metagenomics will be used to search for inhibitors of Q biosynthesis to explore their involvement in microbial communities and their potential applications in biotechnology as antibiofilm and antimicrobial compounds. This research will be funded by the EU HORIZON projects: “BlueTools” (2022-2026) and “EXTREM” (2024-2028), and the National Plan project “METACIRCLE” (2022-2025).

The call for this predoctoral contract will be published on the website of the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (www.inta.es) at the end of July 2024.

Contact: Eduardo González-Pastor

The University of Bari is looking for candidates for a PhD in their Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences.
The PhD is funded by the Italian Space Agency, and the title of the project is “The astrobiological potential of authigenic clays from hypersaline environments“.

>> The deadline for applications is the 22^nd of July 2024 <<

The call document can be found here.

Some exciting projects are being advertised in several Italian universities!

1. The following 5 calls can be checked out at this link:

• Biotechnological Applications of Microalgae for Long-Duration Space Missions (University of Cagliari)
• Molecular modifications induced by altered gravity in epithelial barrier integrity and evaluation of innovative countermeasures to mitigate its dysfunction (University of Pisa)
• Human Life Science and Space Medicine – Physiological and biological bases of space adaptations: quantitative approaches (University of Rome Tor Vergata)
• Space Farming in microgravity (Thales Alenia Space Italia s.p.a. & University of Turin)
• Astro-Pharmacology: the cure beyond Earth (and better on Earth) (Univeristy of Turin)

2. The following call can be checked out at this link:

A project in geology with astrobiology implications. The project can:

• follow the Master’s thesis if related to the geo-theme
• be written following the topics of interest listed in the announcement of the 40^th cycle (link above)
• be written from scratch following the usual project style (state-of-the-art, methodology, objectives, and impact)

The group has an FT-IR spectrometer and a lab where they can make magma.

If you have any questions regarding the second opportunity, you can email Dr. Alessandro Pisello